Vehicle seat construction

ABSTRACT

A vehicle seat bottom or back squab comprises a pan having a plurality of separate pads attached thereto. These pads may be spaced apart to leave a channel or channels. Each pad may be located by inter-fitting with a shaped part of the pan. Portions of the pan may be cut away to form resilient cantilever portions, carrying padded material.

United States Patent [191 Dudley [54] VEHICLE SEAT CONSTRUCTION [75]Inventor: Richard Dudley, Harlington, En-

gland [73] Assignee: General Motors Corporation,

Detroit, Mich.

[22] Filed: May 20,1971

[21] Appl. No.: 145,160

[52] US. Cl ..297/452, 297/DlG. 1, 297/458 [51] Int. Cl. ..A47c 27/14,A47c 27/22, B60n 1/06 [58] Field of Search ..297/445, 452, 453-456,297/DlG. l, DIG. 2

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,574,401 4/1971 Lehner..297/453 [111 3,713,696 51 Jan. 30, 1973 3,529,866 9/1970 Getz..297/452 3,259,435 7/l966 Jordan, .Ir.... 3,293,67l l2/l966 Griffin..297/457 Primary ExaminerCasmir A. Nunberg Attorney-W. E. Finken and H.Furman [57] ABSTRACT A vehicle seat bottom or back squab comprises a panhaving a plurality of separate pads attached thereto. These pads may bespaced apart to leave a channel or channels. Each pad may be located byinter-fitting with a shaped part of the pan. Portions of the pan may becut away to form resilient cantilever portions, carrying paddedmaterial.

8 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJAN 30 I975 SHEET 10F 2 lnoenlorale/1a.; Sad/g Wafm Attorney SHEET 2 BF 2 PATENTEDJAN 30 I975 Rickard.901

I nvcnlo :9 f Attorney VEHICLE SEAT CONSTRUCTION This invention relatesto vehicle seat construction, and has for its main object to provide avehicle seat squab having a pan of substantially rigid sheet metal orplastics material, with padded foam material attached thereto, whichsquabs are simple and economical to make in large qUantities and whichpermit of adequate body ventilation for the user, despite the possibleuse of non-breathingd foamed materials as padding.

Examples of seat constructions according to the invention are describedbelow with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a seat of the bucket" (i.e. individual)type;

FIG. 2 is a section on the plane IIII in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlargement of part of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a modified seat construction;

FIG. 5 is a section on the plane VV in FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a section on the plane VI-VI in FIG. 4.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the bucket or individual seat there showncomprises two squabs A and B joined together, each squab comprising apan 1 made of appropriate sheet material (metal or plastics) withpadding fitted to it.

In the present case the bottom pan and back pan are rigidly joinedtogether, though if desired the back pan may be capable of folding down.

The padding of each squab of the seat is made of small separate padsattached to the pan. Thus the seat back comprises a pan 1 which may beof pressed steel or moulded plastics sheet-material, and which hasattached to it pads such as 2, 3, 4 and 5 which are spaced apart asshown to leave channels between them. The padding of the back iscompleted by a padded edging 6 also secured to the pan 1 and a headrestraint pad 6a.

These channels comprise larger channels 100, (indicated by arrows inFIG. 1) separating the pads 2, 3, 4 and 5 from each other and,respectively, from the head restraint pad 6A and the seat bottom pads 9,l0, l1, l2 (referred to below); and also comprise narrower channels 101separating the pads 2, 3, 4 and 5 from the adjacent padded edging 6.Each of the pads may be secured to the pan in any convenient way, forexample, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 by means of studs 7 fixed or bondedto the pads, which studs are secured by pressing into apertures 7A inthe pan 1. Alternatively, the pads may be secured to the pan byadhesive.

In order to locate the pads such as 2, 3, 4 and 5 in the correctposition and simplify assembly, each pad fits into a depression such as8 in the pan, each depression being shaped to fit the outline of thepad. The converse would be possible, with projections in the material ofthe pan fitting into corresponding shaped recesses in the pads 2, 3, 4,5 (see FIG. 6).

As to the material of the pads, these may be made of foamed plasticsmaterial with a non-porous skin orv cover. This may be either a separatecover which is stitched on, a skin formed by spraying into the mould inwhich the pad is made, or an integral skin formed during the foamingprocess, such as a polyurethane skin.

Due to the "non-breathing properties of these skin materials,ventilation is required when a person is sitting on the seat, and thisventilation is given by movement of air in the channels between thepads, as shown by the arrows 100 in FIG. 1.

The seat bottom shown in FIG. 1 is of similar construction to the back,being made up of a pan of pressed steelor moulded plastics material, onwhich separate pads 9, 10, I1, 12 are secured by means similar to thosedescribed above in connection with the seat back. 'This seat bottomconstruction is substantially the same as shown in section in FIG. 6,where 1A is the seat bottom pan. The padding of the seat is completed byside and front edging pads 13, 14, 15. In the case of the seat bottom,the pads are not spaced apart, but rather shaped to provide ventilationgrooves such as 16in FIGS. 1 and 6.

To give a satisfactory appearance to the back of the seat, a seat backcover 17 which may consist of a vacuum-formed semi-rigid material issecured round the back by snapping the shaped edges 17A into a rebatemoulded into the edging pad 6 itself, as shown at 18 in FIG. 3.

FIGS. 4 to 6 illustrate a modified design, in which the seat bottom isthe same as in FIGS. 1 to 3, but the pan 1 of the seat back has areasbetween the pads 2, 3, 4 and 5 cut away leaving spaces 200 as shown inFIGS. 4 and 5. In this way the portions of the pan 1 supporting theindividual pads 2, 3, 4, 5 are each of cantilever or blade-likestructure and are resilient, so that the deflection of these blades actsas a secondary suspension medium. As shown in FIG. 6 this feature of thespaces may also be included by cutting away a portion or portions of theseat bottom pan as shown for example at 19. Side channels 201, similarto the channels 101 in FIGS. 1 3, are provided between the pads 2 5 andthe adjacent padded edging 6. Parts of- FIGS. 4 6 not specificallydescribed are substantially the same as the parts having the samereference numerals in FIGS. 1 3, unless otherwise indicated. Onedifference of construction in FIG. 6 should be noticed. This is asrespects the location of the pads 9,10, 11 and 12. Instead of beingfitted into depressions in the pan, each pad has recesses 50 into whichfit correspondingly-shaped projections 51 in the pan 1. The ventilationby movement of air in the channels 16, 200 and 201 is similar to that inFIGS. 1 3.

lclaim:

l. A seat squab comprising a pan of substantially rigid sheet material,pads secured side-by-side on said pan so as jointly to form a paddedrest surface, and integral formations in said pan and in each pad whichformations interfit so as to locate each pad relative to the pan.

2. A seat squab comprising a pan of substantially rigid sheet material,pads of foamed material secured side-by-side on said pan so as jointlyto form a padded rest surface, integral formations in said pan and ineach pad, which formations are interfitting so as to locate each padrelative to the pan, and a channel separating the rest surface of atleast one pad from the rest surface of an adjacent pad.

3. A seat squab according to claim 2, in which said interfittingformations comprise integral depressions in said pan and complementaryintegral projections respectively in said pads.

4. A seat squab comprising a pan of substantially rigid material, padsof foamed material secured sideby-side on said pan so as jointly to forma padded rest tions in said pan and in each pad, which formations areinterfitting so as to locate each pad relative to the pan.

5. A seat squab according to claim 4, in which the material of the panis removed below the space separating said spaced-apart pads.

6. A seat squab comprising a pan of substantially rigid sheet material,which pan includes resilient interfitting formations comprise integraldepressions in said pan material and complementary integral projectionsrespectively in said pads.

8. A seat comprising a back squab and a bottom squab; each squabincluding a pan of substantially rigid sheet material, pads of foamedmaterial secured sideby-side on said pan so as jointly to form a paddedrest surface, integral formations in said pan and in each padrespectively which formations are interfitting so as to locate each padrelative to the pan, and a channel separating the rest surface of atleast one pad from the rest surface of an adjacent pad, portions of thematerial of said pan being removed between adjacent pads to formresilient cantilever portions.

1. A seat squab comprising a pan of substantially rigid sheet material,pads secured side-by-side on said pan so as jointly to form a paddedrest surface, and integral formations in said pan and in each pad whichformations interfit so as to locate each pad relative to the pan.
 1. Aseat squab comprising a pan of substantially rigid sheet material, padssecured side-by-side on said pan so as jointly to form a padded restsurface, and integral formations in said pan and in each pad whichformations interfit so as to locate each pad relative to the pan.
 2. Aseat squab comprising a pan of substantially rigid sheet material, padsof foamed material secured side-by-side on said pan so as jointly toform a padded rest surface, integral formations in said pan and in eachpad, which formations are interfitting so as to locate each pad relativeto the pan, and a channel separating the rest surface of at least onepad from the rest surface of an adjacent pad.
 3. A seat squab accordingto claim 2, in which said interfitting formations comprise integraldepressions in said pan and complementary integral projectionsrespectively in said pads.
 4. A seat squab comprising a pan ofsubstantially rigid material, pads of foamed material securedside-by-side on said pan so as jointly to form a padded rest surface, atleast some of the pads being spaced apart to provide channels betweenthem, and integral formations in said pan and in each pad, whichformations are interfitting so as to locate each pad relative to thepan.
 5. A seat squab according to claim 4, in which the material of thepan is removed below the space separating said spaced-apart pads.
 6. Aseat squab comprising a pan of substantially rigid sheet material, whichpan includes resilient spaced-apart cantilever portions, pads of foamedmaterial secured respectively to said cantilever portions, said padsbeing side-by-side so as jointly to form a padded rest surface, integralformations in each of said cantilever portions and in each of said pads,which formations are interfitting so as to locate each pad relative tothe cantilever portion to which it is secured.
 7. A seat squab accordingto claim 6, in which said interfitting formations comprise integraldepressions in said pan material and complementary integral projectionsrespectively in said pads.